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Portable Air Conditioners – Saving Businesses After Disaster Strikes

Mother Nature is full of beautiful things; both animate and inanimate. On the other side of the coin, Mother Nature is often the source of devastation and destruction. Natural disasters have existed since the beginning of time.

According to environmentalists and other researchers, disasters are bound to increase in prevalence simply because of climate change. Common disasters include; heat waves, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and severe storms.

Disasters often have devastating effects not only on human life but also on critical infrastructures such as electricity, water systems, and commercial buildings among others.

Businesspersons are also affected when disasters strike. As a matter of fact, these effects stretch right into the workplace. For example, office infrastructure such as air conditioners may break down either under too much pressure or from the direct impact of the disaster.

The result is a workplace that is either too hot or too cold, electrical equipment start malfunctioning and some even break down completely; and there is a loss of vital information in the process.

Even employees may get negatively affected; they lose concentration effectively lowering the productivity of the firm. The disaster has severed all connections to the national grid and incapacitated the backup generator to make things worse.

For businesspersons and their businesses, such a scenario would only mean one thing i.e. losses for the business. It is even possible for companies to collapse under the pressure of the heating/cooling crisis created in the scenario.

Interestingly, it is possible for the business to evade all these problems simply by getting portable air conditioners to solve the heating/cooling crisis.

Portable air conditioners are available in different sizes and at different costs. Furthermore, businesses can either buy the air conditioners or even rent portable air conditioners during an emergency.

Why Should Businesses Use Portable Air Conditioners during Emergencies?

There are numerous reasons why portable air conditioners are ideal for emergency situations that arise from disasters.

i. Firstly, Disasters often strike without warning. One possible tactic of surviving a disaster is to respond quickly. Portable air conditioners are easy to operate and require no installation.

It is possible to get the portable ACs up and running within a short time of the disaster striking. This ensures that the firm’s operations continue running smoothly and employees remain undisturbed.

ii. Most modern businesses are digital. Computers and other critical equipment are used to enhance the smoothness of operations, perform complex tasks such as calculations and even to store information. However, this equipment is also affected by extreme heat and humidity levels. This is quite a dangerous scenario for businesses in that there is a substantial risk of losing vital information when this equipment and systems breakdown.

Most portable air conditioners perform three main functions that are heating, cooling and dehumidifying. Businesses can, therefore, use portable ACs to regulate temperatures and humidity levels around critical office equipment hence enhancing the protection of critical information and systems.

iii. Most importantly, using portable air conditioners during disaster emergencies benefits the employees. This happens in numerous ways.

Firstly, high temperatures and high humidity levels often pose a health risk to employees. On this line, some studies have already demonstrated a strong relationship between heat waves in the summer and increased number of deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Immediate effects of extreme heat in the office during an emergency can include dizziness, excessive sweating, heat cramps, heat stroke and in some cases a loss of consciousness. Using portable air conditioners during an emergency can help keep these symptoms at bay hence ensuring that employees remain comfortable and focused.

In addition to that, the productivity of employees is likely to reduce significantly in the event of a heating or cooling crisis.

According to research, people are likely to make more mistakes at work when temperatures remain high for extended periods of time.

For example, a NASA study established that people are likely to make as many as 60 mistakes every hour when temperatures remain at 95 deg F. This is because vital organs in the body operate on less blood than they need subsequently resulting in the interference of an individual’s cognitive thinking skills. This can also trigger emotions such as anger, irritability, moodiness, frustration and extreme exhaustion.

All these can have negative impacts on the morale and productivity of employees in the workplace. Researchers estimate that air conditioning could boost the productivity of workers by up to 25%.

Businesses that are victims of disasters can use portable air conditioners to ensure that the workplace remains comfortable for employees and also to ensure productivity remains high. This would save the business from losses and even possible collapse.

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About RebuildRecover…..

We are a grassroots movement, the non-profit organization based in Red Bank, NJ that works directly with communities in need. Built off family values, we work as a team to raise funds, awareness, and to connect volunteers and resources to those in need most.